Fear in the Trenches
by KettlesWrites
Summary: A dark story about the battle of somme. Very beginner level using this hopefully as a National 5 Essay


Fear in the Trenches

The trenches are a place where fear, despair and death reign supreme. Even in these dim times in the height of the so called Great War there are a few who can keep their courage and strength with them are preform feats of bravery and heroics. However your particular battle that you will be going into will require all the bravery every man can summon. But you see their scared faces you know everyone around you will die none of you are special not even you, you are just your standard Infantry man. Rifle in hand ready to take a Kraut's life when given the order but are you ready to pull that trigger when the time comes or will your fear take over and will you succumb to the void of death.

You are about to take part in what is now being called the Battle of the Somme. You and your fellow men and ready at the front line trench. Right now a horrific bombardment is taking place and has been going on for the past week and the goal of it is too horrible destroy German positions making it an easy march into the enemy trenches and capture them. However you have a gut feeling that it will not be successful as the German trenches are well built and sturdy. Only time will tell of the horrors that will come. Will you join the millions that are inevitable going to die or will you be one of those few brave soldiers that take the trenches and win the battle. Once again only time will tell.

The bombardment is coming to a close and there's movement all around in your trench. Men getting into position ready to give the Germans hell. As you look around they all seem bloodthirsty animals wanting a piece of their next meal and it seems the might get it. There is no movement from the enemy trenches whatsoever and it seems the bombardment was successful. Suddenly you hear the whistle blow and the officer of your 'Pals Battalion' telling you to get over the trench and march towards the German positions. You see fellow men cowering not going over been escorted away no doubt getting court martialled. Others try running back only to either be pushed forward to the enemy lines by friends or getting shot by the officer for disobeying officers. You not wanting to be shot or getting court martialled get over the trench and join your fellow men walking towards the enemy. You have cleverly positioned yourself so that if gunfire erupts you can dive in towards a shell crater and take cover. It seems your gut feeling was right. German machine gun fire erupts destroying fellow humans around you. Pieces of legs, arms, heads everything going everywhere. You have now dipped into a trench taking cover hoping not be hit and everyone around you is dead not a single soul has reached your trench. You sit their holding your rifle tight not even daring to peek over the crater as it would risk your position being noticed and your inevitable death following. You wait and wait still hearing a mix of rifle fire and machine gun fire not knowing if said rifle fire is enemy or friendly but you sit still terrified to do anything. The suddenly a hand comes over the edge of the trench a very bloody hand but it's your fellow officer. He looks at you with a grim expression one that just speaks pure terror and fear then pop. Machine gun fire exploded his head like a watermelon covering you in his blood.

You sit there not moving not even breathing correctly you are completely absorbed by fear stuck in a bloody and muddy trench. A thought comes into your head that maybe you should embrace death as it comes along some time. Maybe I should just get up and walk towards the German trenches. Yeah maybe I should but then you come to yourself and stop yourself from getting up staying low. You now wait for the cover of the night to crawl back to friendly trenches. You huddle up in a ball and start crying all the way into the night. Darkness now covers the battlefield and you decide to make your move or you try as you can't move fear has paralysed you. That's when you hear some talking you don't recognise the language and then it hits you. Germans there coming out to search for possible survivors? Or to lay traps. You find yourself able to sit up rifle in hand trying to summon courage to kill a German but would gunfire be too noisy you would have to stab them with the bayonet. That leads to the possibility of you missing or the German parrying and then stabbing you. Everywhere you seem to go death and suffering follow or is that just the nature of this horrible war.

Suddenly a German drops into your trench and you quickly think to act dead he is thoroughly checking the corpses trying to see if someone's alive or taking something that does not belong to him. When his back is turn you position your gun in a way that if he approaches then you can stab him if that is required perhaps he will pass you over. You were wrong he now approaches you cautiously as you don't appear to be as wounded as others. He's now closer and suddenly a rush of adrenaline takes over and you lunge forward piercing the German straight in the heart. Killing him. You sit and the realisation of what you done has set in and you start to violently puke. Suddenly voices raise up a German whispering what you're guessing is the guy you just killed name. If he finds the body he will know something up most likely see the stab wound in his chest see blood on your bayonet and kill you. So you stand up and run you run faster than you have ever before trying to reach your trench. Suddenly you're being shot at but not by friendlies and you reach the edge of your trench when a ripping pain goes through you, a bullet rips through your lower abdomen and you collapse into your trench. Never to breathe again.


End file.
